‘John Wick’ Director David Leitch Officially Gon’ Give It to You in ‘Deadpool 2’

A few weeks ago, Deadpooldirector Tim Miller shocked the world — or a nerdier and more profane subsection of the world, anyways — by walking away from Deadpool 2. As reporters scrambled to make sense of why Miller would leave one of the breakout franchises of 2016, reports emerged that Miller and star Ryan Reynolds had very conflicting ideas for the upcoming sequel and that 20th Century Fox had thrown their support behind Reynolds’ vision for the franchise. Deadpool 2 was officially in the hands of Ryan Reynolds now, but the film still needed a director, and the hunt was on.

Until now. After a brief flirtation with directors like Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) and Magnus Martens (Luke Cage), Fox has decided to go with its rumored first choice all along. Yesterday evening, The Hollywood Reporterbroke the news that John Wickdirector David Leitch would be coming on board to direct Deadpool 2. If this seems like a no-brainer by 20th Century Fox, it’s probably because it is indeed a no-brainer by 20th Century Fox. Leitch’s brand of claustrophobic, fluid, and graphic violence is a natural fit for a movie that willed itself into existence via a single infamous highway fight sequence. And not only is Leitch a smart creative choice, he’s also a solid hit with fans. The Venn diagram of people who loved Deadpool and people who loved John Wick is probably just a picture of a circle.

It also appears that 20th Century Fox has learned its lesson about being caught off-guard with director changes. According to that Hollywood Reporter piece, Fox has also begun searching for a director for an eventual Deadpool 3, apparently opting for the Marvel approach of rotating directors with an established house style. Despite a few hiccups near the end of the year, it looks like Deadpool is here to stay. Crank up that Neil Sedaka and break out the chimichangas, boys and girls, because we’ve got ourselves some sequeling to do.